Who said what now?

I wake up a little later than usual and suddenly the whole world has come crashing down.  The Blue Jays acquired Colby Rasmus in an eight player deal, rumors are flying around that the Giants have acquired Carlos Beltran for Zack Wheeler, and Ervin Santana threw a no-hitter where he still gave up a run.  Needless to say, it’s been a strange morning.  With Rasmus, the Jays get a young, star-quality outfielder under team control for years to come, who’s one year removed from a .276/.361/.498 year as a 23 year-old.  In exchange, they give up a smattering of relievers.

In exchange for acquiring Beltran, the Giants sacrifice a good pedigree, high K-rate/BB-rate pitcher who could potentially one day possibly maybe be good.  It does help that a guy like Eric Surkamp is waiting in the wings, and that the Giants’ farm system develops good pitchers like Tribbles.  There’s an old saying that says “there’s no such thing as a pitching prospect.”  In some ways this saying carries some weight, as was evidenced when the Giants shipped out Tim Alderson years ago.  All you have to do to have faith in such an idea is to remember Jerome Williams, Jesse Foppert, or Kurt Ainsworth.  They’re called “prospects” because that’s exactly what they are.  If they were called “sure-things” we’d be having a different conversation right now.

Beltran gives the Giants an immediate boost in the lineup, but comes with a few caveats.  First we have the expiring contract, so this is the textbook definition of a rent-a-player kind of deal.  Secondly, there’s a stipulation in Beltran’s contract that keeps the Giants from offering him arbitration, which means there’s no possibility for compensation draft picks.  That aside, he’s a welcomed addition to a team that scores runs about as often as Haley’s Comet comes around.  More to come later once more details are clear, but for the time being I’m strangely calm about the situation.